Asks for information about japanned peacocks from Hudson [John Henry?] Gurney’s flock.
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The Charles Darwin Collection
The Darwin Correspondence Project is publishing letters written by and to the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882). Complete transcripts of letters are being made available through the Project’s website (www.darwinproject.ac.uk) after publication in the ongoing print edition of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin (Cambridge University Press 1985–). Metadata and summaries of all known letters (c. 15,000) appear in Ɛpsilon, and the full texts of available letters can also be searched, with links to the full texts.
Asks for information about japanned peacocks from Hudson [John Henry?] Gurney’s flock.
Asks if WDF has ever crossed wild and common turkeys. Would like to quote his authority [see Variation 1: 292].
Also curious whether WDF has known the so-called japanned peacock to appear from common peacock [Variation 1: 290].
Asks for information about peacocks, especially Pavo nigripennis. Suggests a crossing experiment.
Yellow anthers of Heterocentron produce on the same plant thrice as many seeds as the crimson anthers. Crimson anther seeds produce dwarf plants, others rise high up. Monochaetum ensiferum facts are still more strange. Wants to investigate the case, and asks for a plant of the Melastomataceae just before flowering.
Has JDH a Rhododendron boothii from Bhutan with pistil bent the wrong way?
Thanks WDF for interesting letter about turkeys. Would be grateful for information on fertility of the hybrids.
Leschenaultia seems very odd. Will try with pollen left on for 48 hours. Illustrates diversity of structures for same purpose.
Bentham’s and Oliver’s good opinion of Orchids is reassuring.
Anxious to experiment on Melastomataceae; thinks it will give important results.
Wants Leschenaultia formosa to try whether viscid outside surface can be fertilised.
Asks AGM to experiment on Epipactis palustris.
Thanks LJ for Memoir of Henslow; thinks it will be invaluable as an example to other clergymen.
Quarterly Review piece written by Bishop Wilberforce with aid of Owen.
Other reviews mentioned.
Health.
Has received Melastoma and Vanilla.
Has seen again the two sets of plants of Heterocentron raised from two lots of pollen from same flower – a marvellous difference in stature.
"But oh Lord what will become of my book on variation: I am involved in a multiplicity of experiments."
Observations on Viola.
CD’s fancied dimorphism of Oxalis is all a confounded mistake; only great variability in length of pistils.
Found Henslow’s life [L. Jenyns, Memoir of the Rev. J. S. Henslow (1862)] interesting but fears the public will think it dull.
Wants WED to forward dried Malaxis to G. C. Oxenden.
Has been dissecting Viola flowers.
[Letter from Emma Darwin to WED, verso p. 3.]
Acknowledges receipt of £240 7s. 9d.
Hopes to meet JH at Erasmus Alvey Darwin’s house in London on Friday 6 June.
Asa Gray approves of Orchids; his work on American species confirms CD’s findings.
Suspects that bee orchid is self-fertilising form of Ophrys arachnites, which requires insect aid.
Describes floral anatomy of a Catasetum sent by DO.
Has gone on from orchids to studying insect agency in Pelargonium.
His doubts on the worth of publishing Orchids.
Asks whether any correspondents have observed any sensible differences between the bees kept in different parts of Great Britain. CD has heard from several sources that breeds of bee in different areas vary.
Thanks AG for praise of Orchids and his notes on several American species of orchid. Comments on AG’s observations.
Is experimenting [on dimorphism] with Rhexia and Melastoma.
Asks AG’s opinion of a paper by Thomas Meehan ["On the uniformity of relative characters between allied species of European and American trees", Proc. Philadelphia Acad. Nat. Sci. (1862): 10–13] which is the best case of the apparently direct action of the conditions of life CD has seen.
Requests postage stamp for his ill son [Leonard].
Thanks AG for observations on Cypripedium and gives recent observations of his own.
Arethusa is very pretty; structure seems like that of Vanilla.
Finds the little (so-called imperfect) flowers of Viola and Oxalis curious: the pollen-grains emit their tubes whilst within the anthers, and they travel in straight lines right to the stigmas.
Sympathises with events in the U. S.
Reports on French translation of Origin by Mlle C. Royer, "one of the cleverest & oddest women in Europe".
Alphonse de Candolle says he wants direct proof of natural selection; "he will have to wait a long time for that".
Encloses a question [missing] concerning language [from Hensleigh Wedgwood].
Sorry to hear of Mrs Hooker’s health and domestic problems. Wishes natural selection had produced neuters who would not flirt or marry.
Will be eager to hear Cameroon results.
Wishes JDH would discuss the "mundane glacial period". Still believes it will be "the turning point of all recent geographical distribution".
Pollen placed for 65 hours on apparent (CD still thinks real) stigma of Leschenaultia has not protruded a vestige of a tube.
"Oliver the omniscient" has produced an article in Botanische Zeitung with accurate account of all CD saw in Viola.
Asa Gray’s "red-hot" praise of Orchids [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 34 (1862): 138–51].
Sends condolences on death of LH’s wife. Recalls many pleasant hours in Bedford Place. He and Emma thank LH for sending the memorial paper.